According to a recent study, consuming light to moderate amounts of alcohol over the long term can reduce stress-related brain activity and, as a result, lessen the risk of developing heart disease. One drink per day for women and one to two drinks per day for males, according to research, is associated with decreased stress signaling in the brain. The report was released in the American College of Cardiology Journal.
Lead author of the study and cardiologist Ahmed Tawakol stated, “We are not recommending alcohol consumption to lower the risk of heart attacks or strokes due to other worrisome effects of alcohol on health. As shown by numerous other studies, we sought to understand how light to moderate drinking lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In order to conduct the study, Mr. Tawakol and his team examined the drinking patterns of more than 50,000 participants in the Mass General Brigham Biobank. They discovered that individuals who drank one to fourteen drinks per week had a lower risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke than those who drank no more than one drink per week.
In addition, they investigated the impact of alcohol consumption on resting, stress-related neural network activity in 754 adults who had previously underwent brain imaging.
In comparison to those who abstained from alcohol or drank little to no alcohol, persons who were light to moderate drinkers showed lower stress signalling in the amygdala, the brain region involved with stress responses.
”We found that the brain changes in light to moderate drinkers explained a significant portion of the protective cardiac effects,” Mr. Tawakol said in a press release.
Additionally, researchers discovered that those with a history of anxiety had nearly twice as much of a cardiac-protective impact when drinking lightly to moderately.
”Alcohol was twice as effective at reducing major adverse cardiac events among individuals with stress and anxiety. It was about 20% in most patients but 40% relative risk reduction among individuals with prior anxiety, ” the cardiologist added.
Finding other ways to relieve stress is crucial, and they cautioned that drinking in any amount increased the risk of cancer. More than 14 drinks per week of alcohol have been associated with an increased incidence of heart attacks and a general decline in brain activity.
”At the same amount of alcohol that was ‘protective’ of cardiovascular disease, we saw a similar increased risk of cancer, so we’re not suggesting that there is an attractive quantity of alcohol for improving health,” Mr. Tawakol said.
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